Leila and I were determined to have her wedding published. I'm thrilled to see our efforts paid off! What a fun way to celebrate their first anniversary by having their wedding featured on Inside Weddings! Read the blog post to learn how they met, were engaged, and planned their wedding celebration at the Four Seasons in Washington DC.

They were a fashion-forward couple. She wore her hair in a braid with a small crown of flowers and on her feet were the cutest blue-patterned heals which can be found at Nordstrom. (Of course, I took note of that!) He wore a striking blue suit with a colorful gingham tie that coordinated nicely with the couple's bright summery colors -- blue and orange. The inspiration for their wedding was a mix of vintage --wood, glass, and lace, along with classic style which was an homage to the setting.

The reception was lively with lots of dancing including the Hora and the traditional Macedonian Oro led by Deni’s grandmother. There wasn’t a dry eye during Deni’s toast to his mother, who despite being ill, attended the full wedding celebration. They delighted guests at the end of the night with Dorrie’s favorite – an ice cream sundae bar!

Jen and David asked me to "capture everyone having fun and enjoying themselves at the wedding." They set the tone by laughing all day. I don't think I have a single image of them holding a straight face!

Aside from the constant laughter, my favorite element of their wedding at the Ritz-Carlton, in Washington DC, had to be the flowers! The "urban garden" floral design was beautifully executed by White Magnolia Designs. As you can see from this post, I couldn't get enough of the flowers. I especially loved the bride's garden bouquet, the groom's succulent boutonniere, the huge heritage roses, and the moss details including the flower girl's basket and the dining room table numbers.

They hired The Love Revival Orchestra to lead a New Orleans style procession from the cocktail hour to the reception and the band kept the dance floor full and hopping all night long!

Happy Anniversary to Olivia and Damon who were married at the St Regis in Washington DC one year ago this week!

There are always several large-scale events in Washington DC over Columbus Day weekend including --the World Bank's annual meeting, marches and protests, the Taste of DC along Pennsylvania Ave, and the Army Ten-Miler. The St Regis was packed with economic and financial policy officials, which was an amusing juxtaposition to a celebratory wedding. We passed Larry Summers in the lobby as we headed out to take portraits. We'd planned to take, what I like to call, a portrait tour of the monuments, but the road closers made traffic too snarly. Thankfully, the White House is only within a block of the hotel and makes a great backdrop for portraits -- even with all the tourists!

Olivia and Damon had an elegant wedding with white and gold details including some really cool glittery table numbers and gold-star escort "cards" balanced oh-so-carefully on the edge of champagne glasses which guests were encouraged to enjoy as they were seated for the ceremony. And lucky for them, they were able to have their wedding ceremony outside in the courtyard. Olivia changed into her mother's wedding dress for the cake cutting and they closed out the night with lots of dancing followed by a sparkler exit.

What was particularly special to me about Jen and Stephen's wedding ceremony at Fairfax United Methodist Church was that they met, were engaged, and married all in the same sanctuary. How many couples can say they did all three in the same spot?! I also loved that Stephen was a tearful groom. Kevin and I captured tears welling up in his eyes all day. We couldn't have asked for more!

They celebrated their union at the Fairfax Old Town Hall starting off with a game-filled cocktail hour including tic-tac-toe using their respective home states of Virginia and Alabama as game pieces. They also had playing cards with with their engagement portraits on the back as well as wedding-related mad libs and an advice box for those with wisdom to share. The reception included several touching toasts and breaking loose on the dance floor!

Happy Anniversary to Keisha and John who were married at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington DC one year ago! With help from Sara Bauleke, of Bella Notte, they planned an elegant, sophisticated metallic-themed wedding.

Aside from loving the couple and the extraordinary weather we were treated to that day, I loved that each bridesmaid wore a different metallic color dress in a style that suited her best. I should also make special mention of their patterned and textured table clothes. They're clearly noteworthy if I'm recalling them a year later! Oooh! And lets not forget their intricately detailed DC-themed stationary! But most of all, Kevin --who photographed the wedding with me, and I loved the raw emotion we saw throughout the day. There was so much laughter, big hugs, and tears of joy. As a photographer, there's nothing better! See for yourself.

Melissa and Mark love wine and water. They grew up on boats and their family vacations usually revolve around the water and boating. Combining their love of both wine and water, they planned a nautical theme for their wedding at The Winery at Elk Manor on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland.

Nautical themed details included an anchor attached to the bride's bouquet and a dinghy converted to a bar --not to mention the entire Chesapeake Bay which served as the backdrop for their outdoor wedding ceremony. For favors, they gave bottles of Mazzocco wine from Mark's family vineyard where he proposed to Melissa.

To encourage mingling and dancing, they had a cocktail style reception. No sit down dinner here. There were food stations throughout the tent, lawn games, and a tree swing! As you can see, from Kevin's photographs, everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

Now that summer is, without question, officially over, I'd better start posting highlights from the weddings we photographed this summer! And there's no better wedding to start with than Melanie and Alex's!

Airlie Center was just the right fit for Melanie and Alex's relaxed celebration which they described as "an upscale wedding with a beer theme" that emphasized having fun with family and friends. And what Memorial Day weekend wedding would not be complete with lawn games! Melanie was right when she said her "guests would rather throw things than dance." Best of all, they toasted marshmallows over an open fire and made s'mores thanks to Jennifer Arezzo, of A New Leaf Wedding and Events, who picked up all the fix'ns! How can you beat that?!

I've got quite the sweet tooth so photographing this "Breakfast at Tiffany's" themed book club party was a real treat --both literally and figuratively. My client based her party theme on a book they recently read and this year's selection was "Breakfast at Tiffany's." But books were only a prop during the evening. "Gambling," taking shots, and smoking cigars were the real main events. Aside from the desserts, my favorite images from the night were when the party moved outside.

Couldn't have asked for a nicer October day to take Jen and Stephen's engagement portraits in Old Town Alexandria. And clearly we weren't the only ones with this idea, because we counted no less than 10 other photographers that afternoon!

Olivia and Damon were all about having a good time on their wedding day -- as you can see from this preview of them entering their wedding reception at the St Regis in Washington DC. Again, it was really tough selecting just one image from their wedding. Stay tuned for more!

If there is one word that I would use to describe Keisha and John -- aside from love or commitment, it would be STYLE! Check out a preview of their elegant, metallic wedding below. Kevin Dietsch captured this image during their first dance. By the way, it was incredibly challenging to pick just one image from their wedding at the Mellon Auditorium in Washington DC. I love so many of them and can't wait to share more!